


Paired up

by reddeadmort



Category: Red Dead Redemption (Video Games)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-04
Updated: 2019-04-04
Packaged: 2020-01-04 17:16:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18348149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reddeadmort/pseuds/reddeadmort
Summary: Arthur and the reader have been in a secret relationship for a while, but eventually, the gang will find out......First work in the 'Going Steady' Collection - these stories weren't deliberately written as follow ons, but do work well together.Other Going Steady stories:Pregnant, Not Dying,There's something about Mary,We're off on an O'Driscoll Hunt





	Paired up

You certainly hadn’t planned on starting a relationship with Arthur. An outlaw gang was no place for a solid, healthy relationship; too much danger, too much uncertainty. A bit of fun here and there, sure; when the nights were cold, or the drink was flowing, or you just needed a bit of de-stressing. You had fun harmlessly flirting with the others in the gang; Sean was always a laugh, and you enjoyed hearing Javier slip Spanish words into his responses. You sure as hell didn’t understand them but knew they were probably rude. You even flirted a bit with the girls, just for fun; though given the way Abigail looked at you when you laid it on thick towards her, you were sure one of these days she’d invite you to follow through. Unfortunately, one time you’d made the mistake of saying something flirty to Micah without realising it was him you were talking to, and since then he wouldn’t leave you alone.

It was at the big party the gang had at horseshoe overlook when you’d realised that you only had eyes for Arthur. You and him had spent a few nights together out in the wilderness on hunting trips; he was gentle, and far more attentive than any other man you’d been with. But still, you were both part of a gang; you’d both been hurt before, rejected because of your situation, neither feeling deserving of another’s devotion. You shouldn’t, couldn’t, commit.

Yet, there you’d ended up, stood in the nicest dress you’d ever owned (let alone bought) with Arthur’s hands in yours in front of a clergyman. It was a shame none of the others had been there with you, but you’d both agreed that it was best to keep your relationship a secret. You knew that as soon as the others found out, you’d be viewed more as Arthur’s companion, and less of a gang member in your own right. Neither of you wanted that; you were excellent at your jobs, and as much as Arthur worried about you, he wouldn’t stand to see you demoted to a more subservient position in the camp. You hoped it wouldn’t be like that, but Dutch was becoming more unpredictable, and there was just no knowing how he’d react to his top enforcer being in a relationship. You’d already noticed Arthur seemed to be taking fewer risks and were sure it wouldn’t be long before the others noticed too.

That night, in the room above the saloon, had been wonderful. For a while, you could pretend that you both had normal lives, with a proper home waiting for you. The weeks since then had been tough, and you were pretty sure some of the other girls suspected something. You and Arthur were only able to snatch brief moments together at the camp; hotels and overnight camping trips were the only time you got to be properly alone and hold each other. You’d dialled down the flirting with the other gang members; just enough to not arouse suspicion that anything had changed, but not so much or so bad that Arthur got jealous.

But Micah just wouldn’t let up. He was obsessed; no matter how many times you told him to shut his goddamn mouth, he still kept loudly describing the things he’d like to do to you, watching as it made you squirm. It had gotten so bad, even the others were calling him out on it; they knew you could take care of yourself, but seeing you grimace when he spoke to you made them uncomfortable. You had no idea how Arthur was holding it together. He tried to not be too vocal about in his disagreements with Micah, he didn’t want to give the game away. After a particularly bad evening with Micah being exceptionally lecherous to the girls, including you, Arthur had stomped away from the fire; you were sure you’d heard a thud from the woods and some muffled swearing. Arthur had re-appeared and headed for his tent, rubbing his knuckles and you’d managed to slip away to him. You’d laughed as you gently kissed his knuckles and Arthur explained to you that that particular tree certainly wouldn’t be bothering you anymore.  

A week or so after the tree incident, it was once again party time at the camp. Pretty much the whole group had pulled off a brilliant train robbery; the driver had been so distracted by Karen’s low-cut top he hadn’t noticed you and the butt of your gun hurtling towards the back of his head.  

You were all sat around the fire, on benches and at tables, drinking, singing and relaxing. You weren’t too sure where Arthur was, and you didn’t dare ask lest you receive some nudges and knowing winks from Mary-Beth; the girl shared a tent with you, and wasn’t stupid. She must have noticed you slipping out in the middle of the night more and more recently.

Despite all the merriment, you were in a bit of a foul mood. You and Arthur had gone on an overnight ‘hunting’ trip two days prior, only for Charles to ask to come along. You had no good reason to deny him, so had to accept. It hadn’t been a bad trip – it was certainly more successful than normal, as you spent much more time hunting – you enjoyed Charles’ company. But you had been craving that closeness with Arthur, being able to snuggle up into his chest and fall asleep in his arms.

Much to your annoyance, that evening Micah had managed to take the seat next to you. You were nodding along as Javier told another bounty hunting story; he’d managed to hogtie his target, only to have them start hopping away. They’d hopped head first into a tree, knocking themselves out, while Javier had just watched in bewildered silence.

Despite your mood, you laughed, hard; that was a mental image that was going to stay with you for a while.

“I bet ya’d like that, wouldn’t ya” You shuddered as Micah slurred into your ear. “Bein’ all tied up….. I want to watch ya try and escape from me.” Micah’s grimy hand went to your face, but you slapped it away.

“Micah, don’t you dare.” You stood up, eager to get away from the drunken fool.

Micah stood up and grabbed your arm as you turned away, his dirty fingernails digging into your skin, and yanked you back round.

“Micah, I told you, don’t fucking touch me.” You slammed your free arm down on his, breaking his grasp. You tried to step away but Micah grabbed you again by the chin, causing you to wince in pain as he gripped your jaw hard.

“Now that’s a dirty mouth girly” he snarled. “The things I would do with that….”

Micah’s sentence was left unfinished as Arthur grabbed him by the throat and slammed him into the ground. You’d had no idea he was even nearby; you’d seen Sean run off out of the corner of your eye when Micah started getting too close - he must have gone to find Arthur. Sean was happy to try and help out when he could, but when Micah was like this – a bit too drunk, a bit too rowdy – he knew Arthur was one of the only ones that could take him on.

Micah was groaning on the floor, swearing. Arthur stepped between you and him, one arm holding you behind him protectively, while the other pointed at Micah.

“Micah, if you goddamn touch my wife again you’ll be learning first-hand what gelding feels like” Arthur growled at him.

You froze, one hand resting on Arthur’s outstretched arm. _Did he just…._

All the chatter had ceased, and all the eyes were on you two. Arthur, oblivious to what he just said, turned to check on you, frowning when he saw your wide-eyed expression.

“Yer what, old man?!”

Sean’s voice broke the silence. You saw realisation suddenly appear on Arthur’s face – he’d done it now. You were still frozen, internally panicking – do you try and laugh it off as a joke, or what?

Arthur slowly closed his eyes and sighed. Then he opened his eyes, staring straight into yours as he raised his hand to the side of your face, gently caressing it.

“My wife, Sean. My gorgeous wife.” Arthur leaned forward and lightly kissed your lips, washing away any panic. After a moment, as soon as your brain engaged again, you threw your arms around his waist and hugged him, hard. You nuzzled into his warm chest as the whooping and cheering started.

The two of you were quickly surrounded, the girls peppering you with questions as the men gave Arthur hearty slaps to the back. Hosea stood slightly apart from the group, arms folded, watching; he knew how much this meant to Arthur, how hard it must have been for him to ask you. He smiled slightly, thinking about Bessie; he sure hoped you two got a different ending.

“You should have damn well said Arthur” grumbled Micah as he got to his feet, rubbing his throat. Arthur had barely opened his mouth when Abigail retorted “Well, maybe Micah, you should have taken no for an answer!”

Arthur smiled as Micah stomped away, waving his hand dismissively at Abigail.

“He’s going to be really pissed at you Arthur” you said, gazing up at Arthur with a slight shake of your head.

“Probably darlin’, probably. Guess you’ll just have to be sitting on my lap at breakfast to protect me.” You laughed together and, hand in hand, turned back to answer the barrage of questions still coming from the others. As Arthur squeezed your hand, you thought that maybe, just maybe, everything was going to work out.  


End file.
